Joseph Schneider of Bad Kreuznach in western Germany is another of the
great manufacturers of superb lenses, and many of their medium format lenses
are made for a range of prestigious cameras, including Rolleis and Hasselblads.
They announced the following lenses for the Exakta 66, and all of them
are reported as having been seen at some point, although I believe that
the 40mm Curtagon lens may have never entered serial production.

Lens name

Max aperture& focal length

Angleof viewdegrees

Closestfocusm

Filterthread

Dimensions(Diameter ×length) mm

Weightg

Comment

Curtagon MF

f/4 / 40

89

0.5

104mm dia
outer bayonet

104 × 109

700

There are doubts whether this lens ever entered
serial production. See more information here.

Super-Angulon MF

f/4.5 / 55

71

0.5

104mm dia
outer bayonet

104 × 157

1650

PCS Perspective
control & shift/swing

Curtagon MF

f/3.5 / 60

66.5

0.6

M 67 × 0.75

81 × 84

570

.

Xenotar MF (1)

f/2.8 / 80

52

0.6

M 67 × 0.75

84 × 72

500

.

Biometar (1)

f/2.8 / 80

54

1.0

M 67 × 0.75

82 × 68

440

.

Xenotar E (1)

f/2.8 / 80

54

1.0

M 67 × 0.75

82 × 68

440

.

Exakta (1)

f/2.8 / 80

52 (?)

0.95

M 67 × 0.75

83 × 74

450

.

Tele-Xenar MF

f/4 / 150

29.5

1.5

M 67 × 0.75

84 × 101

760

.

Tele-Xenar MF

f/5.6 / 250

18

3.0

M 67 × 0.75

84 × 168

900

.

Variogon MF (2)

f/4.5 / 75-150

56.3-30

1.8

M 95 × 1

98 × 171

1770

Zoom

Variogon MF (2)

f/5.6 / 140-280

31.3-16

2.5

M 86 × 1

95 × 240

2070

Zoom

Notes

(1) 80mm lenses for the Exakta 66

There is much debate about the origin of these four 80mm lenses for
the Exakta 66. The amount of information involved merits consideration
on a separate page, which can be found here.

(2) The lens designations are taken from the original Exakta
66 publicity brochure, from about 1984. The only Variogon lenses
that I have seen in the Exakta 66 mount in fact have the designation “M”,
not “MF”, on the actual lens name ring. The revised colour brochure
from about 1990 does not give any letter designation for any of the lenses.

2× converter

Item name

Multiplicationfactor

Opticalconstruction

Apertureoperation

Dimensions(Diameter ×length) mm

Weightg

Comment

Tele-Converter

× 2

7 lenses
in 5 groups

Automatic

74 × 100

700

Full transmission of lens aperture value to the Exakta 66 TTL prism

This is an item with the maximum optical quality, as one would expect
from Schneider. Further details of its operation can be found here
and here. General information on
the use of tele-converters is here.

Bellows (macro) lenses

As well as the above lenses, which can (of course!) be fitted directly
to the Exakta 66 (or to the bellows unit), Schneider made versions of some
of their famous lenses exclusively for use on the bellows unit. Here
are the details:

Lens name

Max aperture& focal lengthmm

Angleof viewdegrees

Magnifi-cationrange

Filterthread

Dimensions(Diameter xLength) mm

Weightg

Comment

Symmar-SF

f/5.6 / 135

32

.

M 49 × 0.75

59 × 50.5

250

.

Symmar-S

f/5.6 / 180

24.5

.

M 62 × 0.75

61 × 64

350

.

M-Componon

f/4 / 28

.

2.7-5.54

.

39 × 25

65

Macro lens

M-Componon

f/4 / 50

.

1.04-2.54

.

39 × 28

75

Macro lens

The two Symmar lenses already have a world-wide reputation, and Exakta
GmbH claimed that when they were attached to the Exakta 66 bellows it would
be possible to focus them from infinity to ultra close up, although this
turns out not to be the case! Componon is the name on Schneider’s
top range of enlarging lenses, and the macro versions of these lenses are
designed to give the greatest possible magnification of the tiniest objects.
I understand that in the macro versions of these lenses the elements are
mounted in reverse, as compared to the enlarger versions.

The data in the tables above are based on published sources. I
do not have examples of all of these lenses (!), and I have not measured
or weighed all of those that I do have.

I note that Pentacon GmbH Foto- und Feinwerktechnik in Dresden has two
much newer products that use Joseph Schneider lenses in the Pentacon Six
/ Exakta 66 mount: their scan 3000 and scan 5000 professional
scanners. The 3000 brochure that they were distributing at
Photokina 2002 showed the 60mm Curtagon MF on a scanner. It’s great
seeing these lenses living on into new technology, and an indication of
the high quality images that they produce.

For further details of the lenses – number of elements and grouping
of elements, variations of the lenses, etc, I refer you to Nathan Dayton’s
excellent website, www.commiecameras.com

Most of these lenses are illustrated and tested in the Lens Test section
of this website. To go to the lens test section, click here.